Women's Health and Hormones

A common subject of interest amongst my girlfriends is health, mainly women's health. Yes, we are concerned with our families, fitness, diet, exercise, eating and balance. But as of late, hormones are a hot topic. Maybe it should be more clearly defined as a lack of hormones, or too much, or better yet -- imbalanced.

If you look back to 18th and 19th century novels, female characters are frequently portrayed as illogical beings. Fortunately for us, medicine today has dispelled this portrayal and much of the blame points to the H word: Hormones. But before we go any further, let's define hormones and their function, and maybe then can we understand this occasional female madness.

Hormones play an important role in our lives. They are chemicals which pass on information throughout our bodies and regulate important processes. What processes are we talking about? We won't review 7th grade biology here, but basically hormones regulate the processes of developing into a young adult from a child. Later on, female hormones -- estrogen and progesterone -- regulate our menstrual cycles which allow women to give birth. When we actually become pregnant, hormones dramatically change, and after pregnancy, they change again back to normal. We also deal with PMS, perimenopause, and eventually menopause. These changes, which can affect our emotional and psychological behavior, are overwhelming for some women. Much still needs to be learned about how exactly female hormones affect our psyches, but for now our own lives are proof enough.

Many of the health disorders in women can be traced back to hormonal imbalances. Hormonal imbalances cover the gamut; from physical problems to emotional plights. We can't control all the situations we find ourselves in or the body we've been given, but we can control our reaction to such things. But how can we change our reaction if it's influenced by our imbalanced hormones? It's almost a vicious circle in a way, because difficult and overwhelming situations can affect our hormones and thus affect our extreme unhealthy responses. Let's list some of the physical manifestations of hormonal imbalance in women, and you be the judge. And all these symptoms aren't necessary for hormonal imbalance, but see if you have a few.

• fatigue and weakness


• weight gain or loss


• problems with digestion


• hot flashes


• joint pain


• hair loss


• dry skin

These symptoms often lead, or go hand in hand, with psychological problems, such as depression or insomnia. So can we end it here, knowing the times when we warn all those around that our alter-ego is menacing us on the sidelines? We even give her another name, watch her in absolute horror when she throws a mayonnaise sandwich at your husband -- who's now deemed an unlovable heathen -- and cowers when she blubbers in public over a sweet gesture of a child. No, as fickle as our hormones are with life changes and even diet and exercise, we have a huge say in our own physical and mental health.

The light at the end of the tunnel is that women can get their hormones normalized again, but it's a multi-prong approach. We need to be open to changing our diets, incorporating exercise in our daily lives, taking supplements and even guidance and counseling for more serious hormonal problems from the medical professionals. So I guess at the beginning of my article, my girlfriends and I do end up talking about diet and exercise, because that has much to do with everything. If you don't know where to begin, I recommend reading the book Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom, by Dr. Christiane Northrup. She discusses every ailment and solution known to woman.